#i think the first 2 are from the rengoku is asked about why he's popular / how to be popular (for valentines)

[bemuseing]

Images I discovered in my horribly cluttered folder

[demonslayedher]

what important messages or meanings did demon slayer leave you? it left me a lot, i interpreted the "messages" and the "teachings" in my own way, i don't know if they correspond to the real messages given indirectly by the author in the manga but i'm objective in evaluating, i hope i succeeded. in the meantime i ask questions also because it's interesting to know the point of view of others 🦋

This has been such a pleasant thing to ponder all day, Anon. I feel like I had good ideas hours ago, but I’ll try to keep my answers succinct. 

When I feel like I need to explain myself to people in real life for why I’m so obsessed with Kimetsu no Yaiba, besides it encompassing lore that very, very, very easily aligns with many of my long term interests, I often say it’s the simple shounen power fantasy I need in my life right now. A lot of analysts paying attention to the phenomenon in Japan have said its success is partly due to the pandemic, and how demon slaying is a basic, timeless story, and how many of Japan’s legends of demon slaying throughout the centuries have been about struggling against diseases. There is something straightforwardly comforting about the Demon Slayer Corp .vs. Kibutsuji Muzan and his hoard. 

That’s not what I think Gotouge had in mind, though, as no one could had predicted how KnY’s success would skyrocket in time with the pandemic’s development. But there’s something to be a said for a good-vs-evil story, a never-give-up story, a friends-we-made-along-the-way story. Those are all good messages in and of themselves. 

If I had to boil the main message I get from KnY down to one thing, it’s “you’re special, just like everyone else”, though I hate to boil it down to that sarcastic wording because Gotouge has always come across so sincere about this.  

With such a varied cast full of characters who each have their own struggles, it’s really nice to see how people find themselves relating to different characters for different reasons (or looking to characters they admire because they see something they want to relate to in them), be it for circumstances or personality flaws or for their motivations. It’s also nice how I can enjoy a character for who they are and root for them even if I don’t particularly relate. Personality wise I see myself in some characters more than others, but there’s other things too. For example, as someone with a lot of younger siblings and someone who practices martial arts without being especially good at them, there are a number of little things that hit me on a deeply relatable level. Like, “ouch” levels. 

But if I had to come back to that “you’re special, so is everyone else” thing, I have three general things to say about it:  1. Gotouge is in a very, very strange position, catapulted into being an extremely influential, special person. But Wani-sensei practically bleeds humility; and the insistence of looking for what’s wonderful and worth appreciating in other people has felt stronger and stronger the more popular KnY has gotten. The extra pages at the end of volume 23 really feel like they hammer this in. 

2. Something a lot of people have pointed out about what makes KnY special is how much you see of the demons’ tragedies, and how Tanjiro is like Emphathy Incarnate. He’s not the first sympathetic hero out there and this isn’t the first shounen series with sad back stories for its villains. But what drives this home is that anyone has potential to become a demon who commits unforgivable crimes, no one is special. 

3. Now for the message that probably hit me the hardest, driven home especially clearly in the Rengoku Vol. 0 extra: Is there any value in trying if you don’t have talent? 

Obviously we all know we’re supposed to say “yes, there is, work hard, do your best” but I don’t think most of us really believe that. It is extremely easy to fall into patterns of “I’ve worked so hard but I can’t get ahead, I didn’t win this competition, my classmate is so much better than me, my work will always be second-rate, what is the point? Have I wasted all my effort because I can’t be the best? Because I can’t be noticed and praised? Will this hard work never amount to anything because other people are more talented than me?”

At least for me, it’s a lesson I need to learn over and over. Throughout KnY, it comes in many different forms: Kokushibo driven to throw away his life on two different occasions because he feels so inadequate compared to Yoriichi’s talent, Tanjiro feeling like he’ll never amount to anything no matter how hard he works because the rest of the world is still just so much more powerful than he is, Shinobu seeing only her own physical weakness when comparing herself to Kanae, Kaigaku feeling threatened when he’s not recognized as superior, and Giyuu, freaking Giyuu, so on and so forth. 

But Shinjuro’s burn-out (not meant to be a pun), and young Kyojuro’s efforts to understand his change in demeanor, recognizing he cannot claim to know his father’s heart, but also coming dangerously close to falling into the same self-doubt, that hurt. Why even cheer on someone who you can tell is just going to fail anyway? What could that boy’s efforts even be worth? 

But even though that boy was untalented and soon died, the strength of character he had was what left a profound impact on Kyojuro. It’s because of people like him that Kyojuro, who did later become an extremely powerful person worthy of Akaza’s attention, could overcome the tempting moments of wondering, “what’s the point of anyone who isn’t talented even trying at all?” Most of the characters are talented. Extremely talented, or extremely hard working. But none of them will ever be Yoriichi. 

And Yoriichi never saw anything good in himself anyway. 

This is where we all can benefit from having Tanjiro in our lives, to reread those last extra pages of volume 23, and to have someone remind us, we are special, we are precious, we are worthy of so much respect, and all of our efforts are important. 

[fairy-writes]

FairyTailWzard’s New Annual tradition!

2020’s Top 10 List Part One!

So here’s a list that no one asked for of the top 10 anime series I watched this year. I wanted to put this in no particular order but I figured I might as well.  I’ll also be doing my top 10 fanfics from this year and my top 10 books I read this year so stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!

10.) RWBY

Uuuggghhh I really didn’t wanna put this on here… but I really didn’t watch much this year so I had to I guess :(((

I’m really not liking this right now… if my blog wasn’t sort of popular because of my rwby oneshots I’d consider just dropping the anime all together….

(I’m seriously debating on whether to watch the new season or not)

Honestly, the only thing bringing me back is my unhealthy love for Ozpin, Torchwick, and Ironwood.

Honestly, I’d give this show about a 3 or 4/10…

I used to love it so much but I think the quality of writing is going down and the show is trying to be too many things at once that I’m just losing interest.

9.) My Hero Academia

Why is this so low you may ask? Well, cause I think my main hype coming from this is the manga.

Yes I love the show, the animation studio is freaking amazing and the quality of animation never ceases to amaze me. But I love the manga a bit more.

This will probably jump up in rating around season 5 or 6 but for right now I’ll leave it in the 9th spot :)

8.) Sirius the Jaeger

Oh my GOSH, I want a second season so bad. One of my favorite OC’s I’ve ever made was for this anime (it’s Idris Tana btw) and I actually commissioned artwork for her recently and it’s SO PRETTY.

Anyway getting off-topic, the animation of this show and again with the dark and grittiness of it is what drew me in.

Actually, my late grandma and also my great aunt tagged me in a Facebook post with the trailer when it first came out cause they saw vampires and thought I would like it and that's what got me into this show in the first place.

So thank you grandma and auntie!

But I absolutely adore the soundtrack, the mix of orchestral pieces mixed with the more electro-kinda-vibes is my life (seriously go listen to “The Beginning of the Hunting” it changed my life, as an orchestra and cello geek it made my heart so happy)

7.) Tokyo Ghoul season 1-3

Ok, I’m currently reading the manga after I’ve seen the anime and lemme tell you I wish they didn’t censor the anime so much.

I can’t even find an uncensored version anymore and it makes me so upset.

The darkness and goriness of the manga is what appealed to me in the first place (yes I get weird looks for it, no I will not change my mind)

Kaneki is my CHILD and he CANNOT do any wrong. I don’t care who you are I love him

6.) Ajin: Demi-Human

Uuuggghhh to be honest the anime is kinda meh but my love for the manga is so great I am legally obligated to put this here.

Don’t get me wrong, the animation and soundtrack for this show is phenomenal and I think they got Satou down pat.

But they did dumb down and cut out a lot of interesting scenes. Scenes like how Satou takes down some of his opponents (which I can see why... many American viewers would most likely get offended by it… you manga readers know what scene i mean)

Nagai Kei turns into a bit of a whiny character instead of the smart but exasperated teenager I know and love in the manga is the anime version of Kei going to bite off his own fingers in order to climb a wall into a military base?? Definitely not. Would manga-Kei do that? Well, he already did… so... yes..,

Nakano Kou is still kind of funny but he is so much more fascinating in the manga (his backstory breaks my heart).

5.) Bungou Stray Dogs

Another new one that I was actually recommended by my friend @bright-like-the-sun-00 :) I ended up watching it originally in dub but then went back and rewatched it in sub because I love my children so much.

Chuuya is my bean and I love my OC that I created Charlie Dickens :)

(if you guys could go read her story I’d be eternally grateful).

Anyway!

This show has a fantastic cast in both Japanese and English and the music score is one of my favorites. The characters are so wonderfully hilarious and interesting and fhajxbqbaka I love this show okay??

4.) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

I actually put this off for YEARS because my oldest step-brother kept saying I should watch it. At this point, I was refusing out of spite cause I’m petty like that. But I finally started watching and-

HOLY-

GUYS

I have never gotten so attached to a character (cough cough Giyuu) so quickly.

I have been listening to Gurenge and Kamado Tanjiro no Uta on repeat for literal weeks now and I still grin like an idiot when listening to them. I also have a potential OC/crossover coming out soon sooooo…. stay tuned??

I also broke my sister cause I showed her a post that said national donut day and had a picture of Rengoku on it… I didn’t understand it until she explained it to me and now I cackle every time I think about it.

3.) Jujutsu Kaisen

@plusultranerd​ got me into this blame her for the future spamming of your dashboards

GUYS GOJO SATORU IS MY LIFE NO QUESTIONS ASKED

He could literally murder me and I’d thank him. He is the prettiest anime character I have EVER SEEN and I love him so much.

Anyway anime. The show got my attention from the get-go. Itadori is such a fun main character and Megumi is me cause you know dogs.

I think I saw an ad for it and since I have Crunchyroll I figured why not and fell in love with it

AND THE ENDING SONG

BEST ENDING EVER YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND

I put it on sometimes so me and my sister just start jamming out to it and we get the stupidest looks and it is amazing

2.) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Another anime that I will rewatch over and over again until literally the end of time. Also, another series that I’ve already read/or am reading the manga.

Alphonse Eric is my cinnamon roll you can pry him from my cold dead hands.

I have cold hands and no heart by holy heck my BOY

I actually am buying the special edition hardback manga covers that are coming out and I LOVE THEM

THEY ARE SO PRETTY

Am I talking about the characters or the manga?

My answer is yes

Anyway, all of the characters in this are so wonderfully complex and have motivations and i fall in love with 99% of the characters (except for Shou Tucker, I even like Father actually)

1.)  Death Parade

This has got to be one of my top favorite anime of ALL TIME.

I rewatched it early this year and this is one of the very few anime that will get me to cry and this makes me cry every freaking time.

The music is stunning, the animation is magnificent.

For being based on an animated short film, this has such potential for a second season and such a complex storyline was packed into 12 episodes.

I will forever recommend this anime to literally anyone who is looking for something new to watch.

I’m also noticing I have a thing for white-haired male anime characters with really pretty eyes….. Kaneki… Gojo… Decim...

Honorable mentions!

Darker than Black

I didn’t rewatch the whole thing this year but this anime is literally my life. Hei is such a bean and I love him.

Hunter x Hunter

Another anime i didn't rewatch completely but still adore :) I heard they’re continuing it and I’m excited for the dark continent arc!

Dororo

Technically i watched this late 2019 but whatever; I do what I want. The animation was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the gritty darkness of it. Mio will forever be my favorite character; you cannot change my mind. Some parts I did find a bit boring but overall I’d rate this a solid 6/10!

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

I rewatched parts of it and not the whole thing, I also have the first two volumes of the light novels and I forget how funny it is until I actually watch it. It has me laughing every time and never fails to put a smile on my face :)

[kny-secret-santa2019]

from: @nezukobestneko

to: @cierrasl

here’s the shinogiyuu oneshot! i actually haven’t tried eggnog before, and thought it was egg coffee (a popular drink where i live) halfway through writing :’) but all in all, this was such an enjoyable prompt to write for, and i hope you enjoy! happy holidays :)

“Just drink it.”

Giyuu stared down at the thick, creamy lava that climbed up the sides of his mug, leaving a round stain the color of a newborn chicken that hovered just beneath the mouth. Bubbles sunk into the surface of the liquid, where flecks of brown clustered. “Weird texture,” he summed up.

“It’s eggnog,” Kochou picked up the spoon in her own mug and stirred. “Egg whites with cream and milk. Don’t tell me you don’t know what an egg is. You know what an egg is, right, Tomioka-san?”

He tilted his head to the side, ignoring the smug glow on her face. “You sure that’s all that’s in it? It looks like there’s—”

“I know what I put in. I haven’t ran this coffee shop more than three years for nothing, alright?” She put her mug to her mouth. “So just drink it.”

“Is it alcohol again? God knows I’ve sworn that off since last year. I mean, don’t you think it was a bit much that the entire swim club started their routines with ‘Tomioka drunk-diving’ for three months straight?”

Kochou giggled in gulps, careful to swallow the rest of her drink without choking. “You have to admit, it was funny. The fact that you couldn’t smell it in the coffee, too! I bet I still have that video of you squirming like a dying starfish in the water.”

“So that’s what it—ah!” Tanjirou, the mane of his red hair peeking out from the next table, exclaimed. “I asked Uzui-san why we had to flail our arms and twitch our legs like that, but he just said it was a flamboyant signature move. Sanemi-san called it a different word, though… dumbass, I think.”

“But there’s none of that in this drink, of course.” Kochou smiled her tight-lipped smile. Knowing her…

“What about other things? Like those… those laxatives from two years back?”

“I said, there’s egg white, cream, and milk.” Still with that smile on her face, she banged the mug on the table with each word. Her audible slurping filled the silence that had settled between them.

Giyuu’s eyes found themselves on his drink again. “That doesn’t sound too complicated; well, to you. Can’t you teach me to make my own?”

“No offense, Tomioka-san, but as much grace and elegance as you have under the water, you probably can’t boil a pot of it on land. It would take at least a good few days to teach you to make eggnog. And, to be frank,” she waved a dismissive hand, “that’s too much time to be spending with someone like you.”

Tanjirou’s head popped up from behind, an arm slung over Giyuu’s drooping shoulder. “Did you hear that? Shinobu-san complimented your swimming! She said it was graceful and elegant!”

“Shush, Tanjirou.” Veins across Kochou’s forehead bulged out like Iguro’s white devil of a snake. “Besides, I’m already spending too much time with you as it is. After all, who would waste a whole evening on a guy no one likes?”

“I am not disliked by people,” Giyuu muttered, at the same time as Tanjirou protested, “I would spend a whole evening with Giyuu-san!”

“I’m not talking to you, Tanjirou,” she snapped. “You know what,” she swiveled her head back towards Giyuu, all smiles again, “if you’re so afraid of drinking the eggnog, I’ll have Kanao test it out for you. Just to show you I haven’t, like, poisoned it or anything. Kanao?”

The girl, her round tray tipping down to serve some six or seven drinks, perked up at the sound of her name. “Coming, nee-san,” she called out from several tables away.

Was that genuine surprise? Or did those two plan this out together beforehand?

“What did you call me for?” Kanao held her arms together on the stripes of her plaid skirt, her fingers interlaced.

Kochou jabbed the handle of Giyuu’s mug with the edge of her nails. “Could you drink this and tell Tomioka-san how it tastes? He hasn’t tried eggnog before.”

“Oh-okay.” Kanao stirred the mug once, twice, before putting the spoon to her lips. Nothing seems to have been added in the process.

“It’s good as always, nee-san.” Her words barely rose above a whisper, confined by her tight smile. “Um… how do I say…it’s creamy and milky, but not… not eggy.” The outermost pleat of her skirt was all that remained in sight by the time she finished her sentence.

“There you go,” Kochou stretched her arms across the table, her mug already drained and pushed aside. Her head bobbed back and forth. “Want some cinnamon to go with it?”  

She left before you could see a reaction. But surely Kochou wouldn’t poison her own sister?

“You want cinnamon or not?” she repeated, jerking him back from his train of thought.

He blinked. “Like, the swirly things? Cinnamon rolls?”

“Nevermind,” she put a palm to her face; over at the next table, Tanjirou tilted his head up, asking “Did someone call me?”

Giyuu pushed the mug into his arms, hugging his hands around the smooth curve of the glass. A warmth that seemed to emanate from the very core of the drink prickled his fingertips. It felt… nice.

“Just drink it.”

And he did—he hovered the mug just above his lips, letting the eggnog flow down in a river of spongy gelato. An explosion of sweetness, like melted ice cream and vanilla milkshake and hints of spicy nutmeg all whisked into one, condensed along the length of his tongue. With each gulp, a buzz of warmth ran down his spine and filled his stomach. Kochou was one hell of a brewer, but it was only now that he truly appreciated her talent.

She drummed her fingers on the table. “I told you it’s good, isn’t it?” Her face was flushed the color of bricks. Is it that hot if you drink it from the start? Or is there something in my cup that’s making me see things?

“Stay here and keep on drinking, then. I have to go,” her words sloshed together. “It took way too much time just getting you to drink one drink, so I have to go.” She pushed her chair back in a swaying motion, tilting precariously to the right as she turned to leave.

What’s up with her?

Tanjirou, who appeared to have been watching this whole time, nudged Giyuu on the head. “There are two mugs on the table she could have spiked, Tomioka-san.”

Does that mean… “Why would she—” Giyuu snatched the empty mug that laid across the table. It reeked of rum.

“Buh-bye, Tomioka-san! No, Tapioca-san!” Kochou giggled at her own (very lame) joke. She took a shaky step, her heels still hovering above the ground, and smacked squarely into a row of benches.

Before he was even aware, his body had leapt up from his seat, from his table, and pitched itself forward. For that brief moment, his feet were midair; the coffee shop around him blurred into the lush purple that flecked Kochou’s hair. He landed in her arms. No, her arms were wrapped around his, which were wrapped around her body. His nails clung to the back of her shirt, his grip firm without digging deep in fear of hurting her.

“So you can dive for something that’s not the water.” For the first time, Giyuu felt like ‘soft’ was an apt description of the way she gazed at him. And her rose-colored cheeks, pulled up into a smile, didn’t have the tension of a thread painting holding itself together when his fingers brushed through them.

Footsteps had assembled around him. “Wow, Tomioka-san, that was so,” Kanroji drew out the syllable, her long braids brushing against the side of his head, “romantic! Shinobu-chan is so lucky to have someone as fast and caring as you!” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Iguro giving him a look that stank of what that devil of a snake does at its prey.

Wait, romantic?

“You caught it all?” Uzui nudged Kanao, almost making the poor girl drop her phone. “Not quite as flamboyant as the drunk diving, but still good to watch in the future.”

“With that, let’s get the party started!” Rengoku announced, his glass raised. Sanemi grumbled in agreement, as if he couldn’t get away fast enough.

They left without Giyuu; they always did, anyway. Kochou had fallen fast asleep in his arms, her chest rising and falling in time with the constant hiss of the coffee machine brewing in the background. That smile she had earlier stayed. So that then wasn’t an act; she didn’t have anything else hidden.

It was just like Kochou, too, to go through all of that just for him to hold her. If it was that simple, why didn’t she just ask that from the beginning?

“That’s quite the flamboyant party you’re planning,” Uzui slid the rum bottle along the table. “You’re sure you can handle all of this?” He eyed the petite Shinobu from a chair away.

She huffed, but dulled it with a smile. “I know my limits; I’ll be fine. And tell everyone to start without me. I have… other things to tend to beforehand.”

“Still at your place, right?” His teeth flashed brighter at the sight of her nod. “Alright then, we’ll see you around. If Iguro and Mitsuri don’t go off on their own romantic Christmas getaway, that is.” The chains on his hand jingled as he waved. “Good luck with your party planning!”

She sneaked another glance at her phone, at the early invitation she sent Tomioka. Still left on ‘read’. Thanks, Uzui-san; I’ll need it.

—

She spent hours perfecting the new eggnog recipe down to the last drop of milk and hopping around like a bunny to sprinkle in decorations from multiple angles. The handles on the clock above her station spun around too many times, trudging on from 1 pm to 2 to 5.

She popped the rum bottle right as the door creaked open. “Nee-san, may I…” The familiar tones of her younger sister’s voice began.

“Hm?” Shinobu had to redirect her ears from the bubbling mix of creamy goodness, fresh from the pan. “Could you repeat that, Kanao?”

“I was just wondering… um… if you could make a… make a special drink?” The girl’s wide eyes blinked at her feet.

���Don’t you see I’m busy right now?” Shinobu poured the rum about three quarters of the way, then topped her mug to the brim with the mix in a sweeping motion. “You should be able to brew most of the drink on your own, and I’ll help when I’m done.”

Kanao swung the door open. “I’ll wait outside—oops! Tanjirou? Are you okay, Tanjirou?”

“I’m fine!” The boy laughed good-naturedly, brushing off the non-existent door mark on his forehead of steel. “Did you ask Shinobu-san yet? Oh, and Shinobu-san,” his shoes squeaked onto the kitchen floor tiles, “Giyuu-san is looking for you. He says you have a da—er, meeting—together.”

“Tell him he can wait.” The eggnog just settled in the second cup. Shinobu gave it another good stir, just to add even more foam to the texture.

Tanjirou walked closer towards her, his face scrunched up. “Is that… rum I smell? Are you giving Giyuu-san a spiked drink?” His voice rose in muted terror.

Her muscles tensed up into a smile. Deep breath in, deep breath out. “You can’t say a word to him, okay?”  

—

Why won’t he just? Drink? It? Can’t he appreciate the beauty that had gone into this eggnog? The hand-whipped cream and steamy eggs and nutmeg sprinkles spiralling into a wave shape? And with that shell-shocked dunce face, too. Okay, maybe I did spike his drinks once, or twice, and let him make an absolute fool of himself. But he generally does anyways; I simply made it more entertaining.

“But there’s none of that in this drink, of course.” Can’t he just take a hint already?

Rum tastes like burnt sugar. I shouldn’t have sipped that much in one go.

If it wasn’t enough dealing with the complete idiot in front of my face and the scorching desert in my throat, now Tanjirou has to chime in too. Really starting to wish Kanao didn’t lead him into the kitchen…

“…I’ll have Kanao test it out for you. Just to show you I haven’t, like, poisoned it or anything. Kanao?” What did I just—is this even part of the plan? There’s this fog hanging over my head and it hurts like hell and oh well I’ll have to roll with this then.

…And that got him. Huh.

I’d already downed the rest of the rum; now every vein in my body is buzzing. I can’t sit still. Especially if he’s going to take his sweet time like this. Is it time for the group party already?

Getting up from the chair, walking towards the big table, even crashing into the benches: it was all a haze, with coffee machine sounds and voices chattering and wooden floor glitching in and out. I just know I’m falling, somehow. And I’ll crash to the ground and this would have all been for nothing.

He caught her.

Tomioka may not be able to follow her plans exactly, but he got there in the end.

[sohmariku]

End-of-Year Butai/Musical Ask

So, I was tagged by @allyyyyy0619​, so let’s answer some questions. Honestly, I spend a lot more time on answering these questions than I should have!

Firstly, how did you manage to find out about 2.5D butai/musical? Which butai/musical was your first and your impression of it?

In all honestly, I have trouble remembering, but… I think the very first musical I watched was Rock Musical Bleach. And I don’t mean the 2016 version, I’m talking about the musicals that were in the theater over 10 years ago! I probably stumbled upon it somewhere on youtube. I absolutely loved Bleach around that time, so… yeah, let’s just blame youtube. The first couple Bleach musicals weren’t the best, but for whatever reason I still got hooked on it. Then, since the cast of the original Bleach run is more or less identical to the first Seigaku cast, I discovered Tenimyu… despite a previous negative experience with the anime, I decided to give the musicals a try.

This is actually a funny story, I wonder If I ever told anyone about this. The whole reason I learned about the Prince of Tennis anime series is… BECAUSE I COULDN’T REMEMBER THE NAME OF AN AMERICAN TV SHOW PROPERLY! My friend was hooked on some show and I was planning to watch it too and tried to find it online. At this moment I’m still unsure what show I tried to find, but I happened to be looking for “Prince of Tenis”… Anyway, I watched the first episode, didn’t like it and dropped the series. The Prince of Tennis musicals really quickly grew on me though, so I gave the anime another try later. I concluded the first episode was just crap and the rest of the series was rather awesome!

And that’s how I ended up in the world of 2.5D and couldn’t leave anymore… at least, that’s how I remember it…

Who was your first favourite 2.5D actor/actress? Why?

Um, Nagayama Takashi I suppose? I really like(d) Hitsugaya as a character, so the moment I started watching the musical I was already biased towards him, but also really did a good job! Then, Kikumaru also basically became my favorite Tenipuri character, so… Nagayama Takashi it is! And probably Kimeru, because Fuji was my second favorite Tenipuri character and god, that guy knows how to sing! Although I can’t actually call myself a fan of either anymore, I’m always happy to see Kimeru on stage. His voice is still as amazing as ever!

However, if we start talking about the first actor I actually liked enough to start buying merchandise it was probably Aiba Hiroki? (I’m not sure why, I just liked him…) Then came Furukawa Yuta (I loved his voice!) and after that Sasaki Yoshihide (he can sing, he can dance, he’s adorable!) …all of this happened quite a long time ago. While it’s a bit harder (let’s say, impossible) to say for the others, I can still remember the exact moment I completely fell for Sasaki Yoshihide… (Have I ever told that story?)

Top 3 (or more) favourite butai of the year?

Wait, you’re expecting me to remember everything I’ve seen this year? And even rank them? Um, let me just list down a couple of plays I remember watching this year and enjoying!

So, in no particular order: Stage Play Touken Ranbu (Moeyuru Honnouji Saien, Akatsuki no Dokuganryu, Kono Yora no Odawara), Rengoku ni Warau, Noragami (Kami to Negai), Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni utau, Present5 (All), CHaCK-UP (+ Episode.0), Yowamushi pedal (Everything up to “The Winner”), Live Spectacle Naruto (2015/2016), Tokyo Ghoul (2017), Ensemble stars (on Stage / Judge of Knights). (Note: this is not a complete list of everything I’ve seen. It’s a list of plays I remember thoroughly enjoying. Not saying I didn’t enjoy those other plays, just saying I enjoyed these more in comparison.)

All right, let me attempt a bit of a ranking.

1) Stage Play Touken Ranbu -Moeyuru Honnouji- (Saien) Shiina Taizo made me fall in love with Fudo Yukimitsu. You can say whatever you want, but having Fudo/Taizo in this play is probably the reason I’m ranking it first. Well, I guess it’s actually the entire cast & staff that earned this play a No.1 spot. (I probably prefer (the cast of) the original run btw.)

2) Stage Play Touken Ranbu - Akatsuki no Dokuganryu- And this play comes at No.2, because I can still remember how extremely excited I felt when I left the theater after watching it. This play was great! The Date swords kind of grew on me, and my love for Yamanbagiri and Sayo only deepened!

3) Stage Play Touken Ranbu -Kono Yora no Odawara- Can I list this? I know it’s super short, but… the story was just super cute! I’m totally in love with Sayo and Yamanbagiri and having them and Hasebe being the focus of the story just…! These boys are too amazing!

4) CHaCK-UP (Episode.0) I’m not entirely sure why I’m putting this on No.4, but it probably has something to do with the absolute ridiculousness of this play. (This is a play, right?) I haven’t quite seen all of this “series”, but I’ve seen enough to think it’s absolutely hilarious. Whenever I have money available, I guess I’ll check out what else DMM has available for rent…　

5) Rengoku ni Warau / Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni utau No.5 is a tie. Both series are up here, because these plays did give me an urge to actually look into the series behind them. Currently gathering all the Rengoku ni Warau manga volumes & following the Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni utau anime series. And yes, the plays were pretty great too!

Top 3 (or more) least favourite butai of the year?

No ranking, but since I feel like I have to name some, I’d say Patalliro and Rusted Armors. Patalliro is a great play, absolutely! But I’m not familiar enough with the series to be super excited about it, nor did it give me the urge to look into the series. (And yet I did enjoy it enough to accept a friend’s request to subtitle it.) Rusted Armor was pretty good too, I loved the costumes & acting! It’s just, I still have trouble understanding the story (I watched it when I was super tired, so I missed half of what was going on), hence it’s among my least favorites of this year. Once I find some time to watch it again and possibly understand the story better, its rank might change. Really, what I mostly remember is Teruma’s ridiculous outfit, yet amazing vocals! Wait, they were all singing…? Why the heck do they call this a stage play! It’s a fricking musical!

Top 3 (or more) favourite musical of the year?

Did I mention I’m terrible at rankings? So, again… some musical I enjoyed in no particular order: Ultra Musical Bakumatsu Rock (Kurofune Raiko, Climax live), Musical Touken Ranbu (Mihotose no Komoriuta, Tsuwamonodomo ga yume no ato, Shinken Ranbu Sai 2017), Rock Musical Bleach 2016, Namashitsuji (Noah’s Arc Circus), Datsugoku Kageki Nanabaka, Saiyuki Kagekiden (Burial, Reload) , Tenimyu (Hyotei Team Live, Dream Live 2017, Seigaku/Rokkaku Team Party) (Note: this is not a complete list of everything I’ve seen. It’s a list of musicals I remember thoroughly enjoying. Not saying I didn’t enjoy those other musicals, just saying I enjoyed these more in comparison.)

Good, and if I attempt a ranking:

1) Musical Touken Ranbu -Mihotose no Komoriuta- First I had some doubts about this cast, so many unfamiliar names and characters I hardly know, but god… I fell in love with all these guys! Watching it in the theater was just absolutely amazing! Yes, I think Team Mihotose may be my favorite at this moment! The character dynamics are just really great. (Thank you Mokkun/Sengo Muramasa!)

2)      …

 Good, this isn’t working! I can’t seem to rank the musicals!

 Top 3 (or more) least favourite musical of the year?

Yeah, a ranking is not happening… If I have to call out some musicals as my least favorite of this year, it would be Live Spectacle Naruto -Akatsuki no shirabe-  and Musical Hakuoki -Sano-hen- at this moment.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Live Spectacle Naruto! Unfortunately, from my seat in the theater most of the projections didn’t line up, so I haven’t had a chance to enjoy this musical in it’s full glory. (I’m calling it a musical btw. Too many songs to call it a play!) And there is still the pacing of the play that slightly bothers me. But I really hope to watch it again some time. So, if anyone has the DVD or BD and is willing to share a rip with me… (Please?)

Musical Hakuoki -Sano-hen- is here, because no matter how much I love that cast, there is just something about the pacing or the way the story is told that doesn’t work for me. It’s not just this musical, I’ve had it with more of them. Somehow this musical series just doesn’t work for me, even though the cast is amazing. (I think I mentioned before sometime that I can only seem to enjoy Reimeiroku…)

 Top 3 (or more) favourite actors/actress of the year?

Not another ranking! I’m terrible at rankings!

Sasaki Yoshihide Yeah, after all this time I guess Hide is still my No.1

Sakiyama Tsubasa This guys is too adorable! I love how he can be serious, but is super immature at the same time.

Aramaki Yoshihiko He is too adorable (too)! How can a guy be that cute!?

Shiina Taizo / Suzuki Hiroki I can’t chose, so I just put them down on a shared No.4. They are both just amazing!

Ota Motohiro His Sengo Muramasa was probably my favorite thing of this year! He went beyond all my expectations of what Sengo could be!

 Top 3 (or more) rookie actors/rising actors whom you’ve high hopes for in the future?

Um, I honestly don’t know who we would still call rookie actors and who aren’t. Really, pretty much any actor that wasn’t part of Tenimyu season one still counts as a rookie for me… So, I’ll just be listing a couple actors I hope to see more of in the future…

Sato Ryuji All right, he’s like super popular already, I know. But his rise in fame went pretty quick. I’m really interested to see if he can keep this up or not. Of course, I hope he’ll do good!

Sakiyama Tsubasa After taking on the role of captain in Mihotose, his popularity appears to be on the rise too. Since I’ve come to like him quite a bit, I’m really interested to see what he can do from here on.

Ohira Shunya Maybe this is just a personal thing, but I have this feeling that Shunya’s been improving incredibly in a short amount of time, especially in his vocals. And I really feel he’s gaining more and more popularity. Aside from that, I think he’s adorable, so yes, I hope he’ll keep rising and improving!

Aramaki Yoshihiko This guy is too adorable and I hope he’ll be able to stick around for a while in the 2.5D business!

 Top 3 (or more) favourite butai/musical related drama/movie of the year?

I very much feel like I haven’t really watched any related drama or movies…

Yowamushi Pedal drama (1st season)…? I think it may have been last year that I watched this one actually? Pretty much watched it, just because… Well, I guess I knew a couple of the actors in it… hadn’t seen the musicals yet.

So for this year, I’ve seen half of FIVE… pretty much started watching it, because everyone was talking about it (Well, about Sato Ryuji and Kuroba Mario being part of the cast), but then couldn’t find time to watch the second half…

And, I kind of started watching the anime of Sengoku Night Blood (ah, they’re turning it in a play, aren’t they?), because of some familiar names in the voice actor cast… aka, Sasaki Yoshihide, Kitamura Ryo and Aramaki Yoshihiko) I haven’t watched more than 2-3 episodes at this moment though, because storywise it’s not extremely captivating (yet)…

Um, yes… that wasn’t a top 3 or anything, just me randomly mentioning what I’ve seen…

Top 3 (or more) actors/actress that you think have the best singing voice?

Um, you’re asking for a top 3? I doubt I could give you a top 10! There are many, many amazing singers to be found in the 2.5D world! So, I’m just randomly going to throw out some names here, all right?

Itokawa Yojiro, holy shit that guy just blew me away with his vocal performance during the Bakumatsu Rock climax live!

Kimeru, he’s been doing amazing ever since Tenimyu.

Spi, all I’ve heard him sing in Toumyu was flawless! This guy’s voice is incredible!

Teruma, recently I noticed how amazing he has become! Really!

Sasaki Yoshihide, he isn’t always quite flawless, but I’m biased! And he does have an amazing voice!

Ogoe Yuki, he’s good! He’s really good!

Sato Ryuji, he’s good and he’s still improving! He’s amazing!

Ohira Shunya, surpise!? No, this kid can really sing well if you feed him the right song!

Ota Motohiro, he’s not quite flawless, but I remember being quite impressed by his Mihotose no Komoriuta performance.

Sakiyama Tsubasa, yes, he’s not flawless on stage, but given the right song he sounds absolute

....

  Yeah, shall I just stop here? Even though I could probably go on for a while…

A (or more) butai/musical that you didn’t initially love, but has/have grown on you?

I think that would be Present5. I took quite some effort to make it through the first play and it took me a long, long time to attempt watching the other plays. But, somehow these guys grew on my and I eventually really enjoyed watching all of them!

Top 3 (or more) anime/manga/game that you would love to see being adapted into a butai/musical in the future?

I’m very much afraid that I’m the type who starts looking up the original source after she’s seen the play… So, I’m a little out of materials I’d like to see adapted, since they are already adapted…

 Top 3 (or more) favourite fandom on the year?

 Musical Touken Ranbu

Stage Play Touken Ranbu

…

For this whole year I would say that Toumyu and Tousute are basically the only fandoms I’ve really been in. Yes, I’ve seen some Tenimyu, I’ve seen some Namashitsuji, I’ve seen a lot… but, I don’t really count myself as an active member of those fandoms, I’m just passing by… and moving on and sometimes coming back…

How long have you been in the 2.5D fandom?

I’ve been in the 2.5D fandom for nearly 10 years now… (I’ve been part of this fandom from since before we started calling it 2.5D! I think it was early 2008 that I fell down the rabbit hole…) Yes, that’s a really long time! First all the actors were nearly 10 years older than me, now they are suddenly 10 years younger than me! (I’m looking at you, Miura Hiroki! How are you that young!)

Never imagined all those years ago I’d become so obsessed with this I’d still be here after such a long time.

Lastly, what is your overall opinion of the 2.5D fandom so far?

After all these years I can say the 2.5D community is probably one of the most friendly and peaceful I’ve ever seen. This is possibly the case, since all the fights and wars take place in the tags of the source materials and don’t make their way into the 2.5D world. There are some occasional stir-ups, but… Yes, so many friendly people who are willing to share the goodies they have. I’m really happy to be part of this place…

I can however see how the community has changed over the years. When we started this fandom was basically a free for all. Since only the very few in Japan had access to the DVDs, once you uploaded something everyone could do with it what they wanted. There weren’t any rules (for as far as I remember) and barely any watermarks. But yes, with the 2.5D producers slowly turning their eyes outside Asia, I suppose it’s only a given that we thread with a little more caution now. After all, we want them to make it easier for us to watch all the goodness, not make it harder! (Come on, remove the region block from those online streaming services already! I don’t want to be stuck with a VPN forever!)

Anyway, I really hope this community will stay like this for many, many years to come!